Tag: Caziah Holmes

Penn State roster update: RB Caziah Holmes not on official roster

Penn State made an official roster update with the removal of a veteran running back.

Penn State is officially down one more running back for the upcoming 2022 college football season. A look at the updated roster online shows [autotag]Caziah Holmes[/autotag] is no longer listed on the roster, and multiple outlets have confirmed he is no longer a part of the program.

The reason for the sudden departure from the program is not known at this time, but it has been noted Holmes was with the team at fall camp practices as recently as this week.

The loss of Holmes from the roster is a slight blow to the depth at running back that head coach James Franklin has praised this offseason, but it may not impact what the running game ultimately looks like this upcoming season. Keyvone Lee returns as the leading rusher going into the 2022 season and Penn State has added a pair of high-quality back in the Class of 2022 with Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen.

We will have to monitor the updates in the transfer portal to see if Holmes is on the move for a new destination.

Holmes appeared in 11 games in 2020 and 2021, in which he carried the football 56 times for 254 yards and two touchdowns.

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2022 Penn State football: Nittany Lions’ running backs preview

Take a look at Penn State’s depth at the running back position heading into the 2022 season.

Penn State is prepping for a season in which the program hopes to redeem itself on the national stage. After back-to-back seasons of mediocre results, Penn State is aiming to bounce back and prove themselves worthy of being in the Big Ten championship hunt, if not a little bit more.

Penn State kicks off the 2022 season with a Thursday night primetime matchup at Purdue on September 1. When the season begins, Penn State is hoping to get the running game on track after a disappointing season rushing the ball in 2021. With a Doak Walker Award watch list player in Keyvone Lee and one of the top recruits in the Class of 2022 with in-state recruit Nick Singleton, and another quality addition with Kaytron Allen, hopes are high for Penn State to figure out things on the ground.

Here is a look at what Penn State has on the roster at the running back position for 2022, beginning with the expected stars of the ground game.

Early positional outlook: How the Penn State RBs break down

Penn State’s running game to be under the microscope in 2022. Here’s what the position looks like right now

To say Penn State’s running game in 2021 was a disappointment would be a massive understatement. An offense with three Doak Walker Award watch list players ended the season without any player on the roster accumulating 100 rushing yards in a single game. Who would have thought that would be possible?

The struggles of the running game could be based on the struggles of the offensive line and playcalling, and perhaps a few other reasons. But heading into the 2022 season, there will be no room for excuses. The position will be in the spotlight with not so unreasonable expectations that things will improve. And once again, the makeup of the running back position will be an intriguing one for the Nittany Lions.

Here is a look at the state of the running back position in Happy Valley heading into the 2022 season, starting with the leading rusher coming back for another season.

Keyvone Lee the leader of the pack

Photo: Matthew OHaren-USA TODAY Sports

Keyvone Lee showed some glimpses of good things to come as a freshman in 2021, and he emerged to be Penn State’s leading rusher in what was clearly a rough year for the rushing offense. Lee led the Nittany Lions with 530 yards while averaging 4.91 yards per attempt on 108 attempts. Lee managed to score just two rushing touchdowns, but he will enter the spring practice season as the leading candidate to be the top running back on the depth chart in the fall.

If there is one drawback to Lee’s game that has been evident at times, it may be a reluctance to attack the line with a burst of speed. There have been some times when Lee may be waiting a bit too long for room to run, and before too long he would be swallowed up for a loss or minimal gain. That can be coachable and should be addressed in the offseason. Lee can do some damage if he takes off with more authority at times instead of trying to be too patient, which sounds weird to say as someone who respects being patient and waiting for a play to develop. But in this case, it may serve Lee well to realize quicker when a play is a lost cause.

But Lee should start the 2022 season as the top running back on the depth chart.

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5 reasons why Penn State beat the Wisconsin Badgers in Week 1

What are some of the keys to a Penn State victory today against Wisconsin?

Today the wait is finally over as Penn State football returns to the field with a massive Big Ten season opener. Penn State is on the road to challenge Big Ten West favorite Wisconsin in a noon kickoff. The game figures to be Penn State’s biggest opening day challenge of the James Franklin era, and expectations are the Nittany Lions will rebound a bit in 2021 after a disappointing 2020 season.

But what will it take for Penn State to avoid starting the year with a Big Ten road loss for the second straight season? Here are five reasons Penn State can come out of Madison with a win this afternoon.

Momentum

During the 2020 season, the Nittany Lions had one of their worst and strange seasons in the program history as they started out 0-5. Penn State would end its season by winning their last four games, so the question will be can they build off those four games and start 2021 with a 1-0 mark?

How will Sean Clifford bounce back?

During the 2020 season, Sean Clifford looked off which lead him to be benched. Fortunately for Penn State, Clifford was able to come back from being benched and lead the Lions to four wins to end the season. Can Clifford build off of that to get a fast start to the season and avoid the costly turnovers that dug holes last season?

NEXT: Clifford’s success will be led by the new offensive coordinator, and more reasons why Penn State will grab a win in Week 1

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Big Ten Network’s Howard Griffith impressed with Penn State’s running back depth

According to Big Ten Network analyst Howard Griffith, Penn State may have the best running back group in the Big Ten.

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We are two weeks away from Penn State kicking off the 2021 season on the road at Wisconsin. During training camp, you find out where you have a strong point and Penn State has that on the offensive side of the ball.

On Monday, the Big Ten Network made a stop to Happy Valley on their training camp tour. During their visit to Happy Valley, analyst Howard Griffith said he came away impressed with what Penn State has at the running back position. He even went so far as to suggest the Nittany Lions have one of the best running back groups in the Big Ten.

The running backs will be lead by Noah Cain, John Lovett who is a transfer from Baylor, Keyvone Lee, Caziah Holmes and Devyn Ford. Cain, Lovett, and Lee all appeared on the watch list for the nation’s top running back award, the Doak Walker Award. Penn State is the only school in the nation with three players appearing on the Doak Walker Award’s watch list.

One of the questions will be how Cain will look after missing practically all of the 2020 season due to injury and how the rotation will go the rest of the season. Head coach James Franklin has suggested he believes Lovett has the potential to be a home-run hitter, an idea that seemed to be supported by Griffith’s comments.

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